There are some good reasons to play when you know your poker position. Here are some of them:

A. When is your turn to play, you have much more information than your opponents.
B. The position gives you a “bluff equity”, in other words, cheap and good opportunities to use a bluff.
C. The position allows you to place more accurate bets.
D. The position gives you the opportunity to control the size of the pot.

Let’s see first what are the positions when the number of the players at the table is 10. As we already mentioned, the best position is the dealer’s position. The position to the left of the dealer is the Small Blind (SB), the position to the left of the SB is the Big Blind (BB). To the left o the BB there are 3 UTG (Under the Gun) positions called also early positions, followed by 3 middle positions (MP), and the cut –off position (CO – the one before the dealer).

The three early positions ( the ones to the left of the BB) are considered the worst, since you can’t know how your opponents will act. If you place a bet, they can raise and in order to see the 3 cards of the flop, you need to pay two bets. In case you raise, other players can fold and then all your profit will consist of the two blinds. Of course, this isn’t very interesting. So, what can you do if you are in early position? You can use the tight style of playing i.e. you can play tighter than you would play if you are in middle or late position. What are the advantages of the three middle positions (4th, 5th and 6th to the left of the BB)? In these positions you can play much more hands but again you should play tight since there are four more players after you. The middle positions are better than the early ones since you already know how the opponents before you acted. What if some of the players before you call? In this case you have the necessary pot odds and you may place a bet. What if most of the players fold? In this case you can raise and you may get the blinds but this type of playing will be much more effective if you are in a late position. When you are in a middle position, never forget that there are players after you and they may answer your raise and re–raise.

You should evaluate your hand very carefully. As you already know, the late positions are the best. If you are in a late position you can play more hands than in early or middle positions. In this positions you will have much more information than your opponents – you will know how many players raised, how many called and how many folded. The point is to get the best of this information. If there are re–raises, in order to play, you need to be sure about the strength of your hand. The usual bets or folds you can play with weak hands, since the pot odds may justify your call and there are no many opponents after you who can raise. It is important to remember whether you are the last or one of the last players during the next betting rounds. The last positions are definitely better and more profitable than others and when you are in a late position it is easier to play, but that doesn’t mean you should play all the hands.

In case you are in the BB or SB position (blinds), after the flop you can play as in an early position. But during the pre–flop the players in both positions are to act last, therefore during the pre-flop you can play as in a late position. The Small blind is partially in the pot, since your half bet is already there, so you can play more hands than your opponent who is in the late position. That is exactly what most of the players do – they play the small blind, but it will be much better to change your poker strategy, otherwise you’ll become too predictable. You should not also fold too often when some of the players raise, since your opponents will soon know that you play tight on the blinds and of course, they’ll take advantage on this and take your bets.

If there is no raise before you and you are in the Big blind position, you can play with any hand. If your hand is weak, is better to check, if it is strong, you can raise. Anyway, you should change your style and tactics all the time, it is very important, otherwise your opponents will be able to read you and that will be not a big advantage. In BB position you can also check during the pre –flop and this way you’ll see the flop for free. If there was a raise before you and you are in BB position, you should play tight.